(VOVWORLD) - “Since the pandemic knows no boundary, the role of the media should, therefore, not be confined to only reporting about what happens within their own borders. The CAJ strongly promotes trans-boundary cooperation among its member countries so that timely and valuable information on the pandemic can be shared. Equally important, CAJ member countries can learn from each other’s experience in fighting against the deadly disease,” said a CAJ statement.
A Vietnam News Agency reporter works in the COVID-19 epidemic hotspot. (Photo: VNA)
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The Confederation of ASEAN Journalists (CAJ) on September 28 issued a statement on joint efforts to fight COVID-19 which has ravaged the world for more than 10 months.
The statement “recognizes the ongoing efforts by governments and peoples of all the CAJ member countries and its economic and social impact in their respective territories." It also appreciates “all the hard work provided by healthcare workers who have been at the frontline in battling the pandemic" and “recognizes the act of giving and spirit of volunteerism” by individuals in this hard time.
The CAJ calls the role of media as “more crucial as ever in providing accurate information and keeping the public informed." It urges media practitioners “not let their guard down as far as professional ethics is concerned in their coverage of the pandemic."
Amidst the pandemic, the media, therefore, have responsibility to combat fake news and disinformation about the pandemic which has become a scourge that needs to be countered through joint efforts and cooperation among all the professional media in the region.
The CAJ pledges to work together with media organizations in its member countries “in working on programs that will help journalists retool their skills and acquire knowledge to cope with the new challenges.”
Confederation of ASEAN Journalists (CAJ) was established as a forum for cooperation among ASEAN journalists in 1975, eight years after the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was set up.
The membership of CAJ now comprises Persatuan Wartawan Indonesia (PWI), National Union of Journalists Malaysia (NUJM), National Press Club of the Philippines (NPC), Singapore National Union of Journalists (SNUJ), Confederation of Thai Journalists (CTJ), Vietnam Journalists Association (VJA), Laos Journalists Association (LJA), and The Club of Cambodian Journalists (CCJ) of Cambodia, according to CAJ website.